Expression of Ulex europaeus agglutinin I lectin-binding sites in squamous cell carcinomas and their absence in basal cell carcinomas. Indicator of tumor type and differentiation.

Lectins bind tightly to carbohydrate moieties on cell surfaces. Alterations in lectin binding have been reported to accompany epidermal cell differentiation, marking alterations in membrane sugars during this process. The presence of UEA I (Ulex europaeus agglutinin I) L-fucose-specific lectin-binding sites has been used as a marker for terminally differentiated (committed) keratinocytes. In this article, we report the presence of UEA-I-binding sites on squamous keratinocytes of well-differentiated squamous cell carcinomas, with patchy loss of UEA I positivity on poorly differentiated cells of squamous cell carcinomas, suggesting a possible use for this technique in the rapid assessment of less differentiated areas within the squamous cell tumor. The absence of UEA-I-binding sites on basal cell carcinomas may be related to an inability of cells comprising this tumor to convert the L-D-pyranosyl moiety on basal cells to the L-fucose moiety, resulting in an inability of basal cell carcinoma cell to undergo terminal differentiation into a committed keratinocyte.